Input on a possible 2013 Epic purchase

I've been sizing up some different 29ers for my next bike and after riding the Stumpy, the Camber and the Epic, I'm pretty sure I've settled on a new Epic. Now I just need to decide how deep I want to go and was hoping you guys could give me some feedback on the three choices.

The Comp and Comp Carbon are the same except for the carbon frame. I test rode a Comp Carbon and loved it so I'm probably going with the Carbon. Am I nuts for spending ~$1,100 more for the carbon frame?

I'm also looking at the Expert Carbon but that's a huge jump in price over the Comp Carbon but it does look like it has quite a few upgrades. Is it worth it? Are the Roval wheels something you would keep or would you end up replacing them with better wheels anyway? I've also hear some negative things about the Sid fork with the Brain. The carbon crank would be nice.

So let me hear your thoughts.

Oh, I'll be using this for XC stuff, but no racing just hard core riding with friends.

If you are not racing, then I would just go with the AL version and change out the wheels to whatever you want and upgrade other parts as you see fit.

IMHO you aren't going to see a significant ride difference between AL and Carbon on a FS. At that point it mostly just comes down to weight. The jury is still out on whether carbon is more durable than AL. It can take more stress before breaking than AL, but when carbon breaks, it's usually catastrophic. An AL frame will show fatigue over it's life whereas carbon will not. Carbon is more prone to damage (cracks) from impacts whereas AL will bend/dent. Wheels is where it matters most. You will get a better ride with the AL frame and the roval control sl wheels than the carbon frame and stock wheels, and it shouldn't cost you too much more and should be lighter, especially where it counts.

FWIW, I went with the comp carbon and roval control SL wheels. However, I race and it is my dream bike. If I couldn't have got the comp carbon then I would have gone AL and with the SL wheels.

Why are you choosing the Epic? It is mostly a race/xc bike that can take larger hits. Is most of the riding that you do XC riding, or do you search for the gnar and gravity?

Subscribed. I'm also contemplating an Epic of some sort. I rode my girlfriend's Carve and loved it. Thinking of a carbon fiber hardtail Stumpjumper, too.

I rode the Stumpy and the Camber along with the Epic because I couldn't decide between the three. On the Stumpy, it just felt so big and like I was just along for the ride. I didn't feel like I was part of the bike, more like I was just along for the ride.

The Camber still had that same feeling but not as bad. But it wasn't as crisp as the Epic.

With the Epic, I felt like I was actually in control of the bike and it would do what I wanted, when I wanted. I just felt better on the Epic than the other two.

Originally Posted by tooclosetosee

If you are not racing, then I would just go with the AL version and change out the wheels to whatever you want and upgrade other parts as you see fit.

IMHO you aren't going to see a significant ride difference between AL and Carbon on a FS. At that point it mostly just comes down to weight. The jury is still out on whether carbon is more durable than AL. It can take more stress before breaking than AL, but when carbon breaks, it's usually catastrophic. An AL frame will show fatigue over it's life whereas carbon will not. Carbon is more prone to damage (cracks) from impacts whereas AL will bend/dent. Wheels is where it matters most. You will get a better ride with the AL frame and the roval control sl wheels than the carbon frame and stock wheels, and it shouldn't cost you too much more and should be lighter, especially where it counts.

FWIW, I went with the comp carbon and roval control SL wheels. However, I race and it is my dream bike. If I couldn't have got the comp carbon then I would have gone AL and with the SL wheels.

Why are you choosing the Epic? It is mostly a race/xc bike that can take larger hits. Is most of the riding that you do XC riding, or do you search for the gnar and gravity?

Thanks. This is what I was looking for. As far as why I chose the Epic, see my comment above.
All of the riding we do around here is trail riding. Lots of climbing and descents, switchback, creek crossings, roots, rock steps, etc. No huge drop or jumping, at least not on purpose.

We're also going to be riding the San Juan Hut tour our in Colorado next July so we're all getting new rides for that. My current MTB, if you can even call it that, is an old Giant Warp DS2. This is my first new MTB since 1999, I've been road riding and just recently get back into MTB.

Get the carbon. If you get the aluminum, you will always wish you got the carbon one.

Honestly, this is the only reason I was going to buy the carbon. I didn't buy a carbon road bike and wish I had. I figured the weight savings on a full suspension would be an even better reason to go carbon.

Only the main triangle on the comp carbon is carbon. The rear triangle is aluminum.

The marathon has half of the rear triangle as carbon.

The Sworks is full carbon.

All main triangles on Specialized bikes have a lifetime warranty. The rear triangle is considered part of the suspension and thus only has a 2 year warranty or something like that.

Another good point is that if you plan on keeping the carbon frame for a long time (which I do) then you can upgrade whatever you want around it and you have already lost some initial weight over the AL.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think the weight difference is somewhere around 300 grams.

Only the main triangle on the comp carbon is carbon. The rear triangle is aluminum.

The marathon has half of the rear triangle as carbon.

The Sworks is full carbon.

I was somewhat disappointed when I found this out. For the price difference, would have thought everything was carbon. I only realized this on my second test ride last night.

Originally Posted by tooclosetosee

All main triangles on Specialized bikes have a lifetime warranty. The rear triangle is considered part of the suspension and thus only has a 2 year warranty or something like that.

Another good point is that if you plan on keeping the carbon frame for a long time (which I do) then you can upgrade whatever you want around it and you have already lost some initial weight over the AL.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think the weight difference is somewhere around 300 grams.

For me it was between the Carbon Comp and Expert. With the price difference and not being 100% sold on the brain fork, I decided to by the Comp. I sold the stock wheels and bought Roval Controls and also swapped the handlebar to carbon, then I'll upgrade the rest as it wears out.

For me it was between the Carbon Comp and Expert. With the price difference and not being 100% sold on the brain fork, I decided to by the Comp. I sold the stock wheels and bought Roval Controls and also swapped the handlebar to carbon, then I'll upgrade the rest as it wears out.

If you have the money, carbon is defo worth the upgrade. I have the 2010 Epic Carbon Expert. My chain and seat stays are beat to sh!t and have already had the seat stays replaced on warranty. My front carbon triangle is in much better condition. It's amazing how much tougher carbon is that Alu. You also have the usual arguments like weight loss etc. Lastly you won't be thinking, I wish I'd gone for the better bike. If you plan on riding the bike for a very long time you'll want to get the best frame you can afford. Other components wear out. The frame should last a very long time.

IMHO the EPIC EXPERT CARBON EVO R 29 is the best value for money in the 2013 range. It has the marathon frame which has the carbon seat stays as well as better carbon. It also comes with some carbon bars and is only $200 more than the the expert. It just depends if you feel you handle the 1x10.

I just converted my 2010 Epic Carbon Expert from 3x9 to 1x9 and love it. The first ride I did up my regular steep rocky section near my house in CO on the 1x9 I set a new PR

If you have the money, carbon is defo worth the upgrade. I have the 2010 Epic Carbon Expert. My chain and seat stays are beat to sh!t and have already had the seat stays replaced on warranty. My front carbon triangle is in much better condition. It's amazing how much tougher carbon is that Alu. You also have the usual arguments like weight loss etc. Lastly you won't be thinking, I wish I'd gone for the better bike. If you plan on riding the bike for a very long time you'll want to get the best frame you can afford. Other components wear out. The frame should last a very long time.

IMHO the EPIC EXPERT CARBON EVO R 29 is the best value for money in the 2013 range. It has the marathon frame which has the carbon seat stays as well as better carbon. It also comes with some carbon bars and is only $200 more than the the expert. It just depends if you feel you handle the 1x10.

I just converted my 2010 Epic Carbon Expert from 3x9 to 1x9 and love it. The first ride I did up my regular steep rocky section near my house in CO on the 1x9 I set a new PR

I love the EPIC EXPERT CARBON EVO R 29 but I'm not comfortable with the 1x9 at all. I just got back into MTB after a 12yr hiatus and I'm loving it. But I'm not in the kind of shape I should be to handle the 1x setup. But I really love the carbon and I do regret not getting a carbon road bike when I had the chance.

I bought the comp over the carbon comp and i,m glad i did.I spent the extra $1100 on upgrades on it.Wheels,brakes e.t.c and now i have a great bike.The only difference between the two is the carbon front triangle,the weight difference is less 300 grammes and plus for a $4000 plus bike you would think they would put decent brakes and cranks on it.

I bought the comp over the carbon comp and i,m glad i did.I spent the extra $1100 on upgrades on it.Wheels,brakes e.t.c and now i have a great bike.The only difference between the two is the carbon front triangle,the weight difference is less 300 grammes and plus for a $4000 plus bike you would think they would put decent brakes and cranks on it.

I was under the impression the Megura brakes were a huge improvement over the Avids of the past years?
What parts did you put on yours when you did the upgrades? What kind of weight are you sitting at now after the upgrades?

I rode the Stumpy and the Camber along with the Epic because I couldn't decide between the three. On the Stumpy, it just felt so big and like I was just along for the ride. I didn't feel like I was part of the bike, more like I was just along for the ride.

The Camber still had that same feeling but not as bad. But it wasn't as crisp as the Epic.

With the Epic, I felt like I was actually in control of the bike and it would do what I wanted, when I wanted. I just felt better on the Epic than the other two.

Thanks for your comments! I test rode a medium aluminum Epic and a large CF Epic. It was not a full-on trail ride test, but I took them to a local school with some hills and tree roots. Both felt great, but the handling of the large one was slightly slower and less snappy than the medium, probably because of a longer stem. At 5'11", I'm a tweener for both sizes. The medium is perhaps a tad too small/short, while the large is a bit too big.

I was under the impression the Megura brakes were a huge improvement over the Avids of the past years?
What parts did you put on yours when you did the upgrades? What kind of weight are you sitting at now after the upgrades?

Remember the magura that's one them is the lower end scale.Brakes were very bad,fine if your only going to the shops :-).
I put arch ex wheels,New xt pedals,carbon bars,stem,seat post,2013 xo trail brakes,xo shifters,shimano r-76 rotors,180 on the front.I have the new xo cranks arriving monday for it.Its running tubeless.
When i put the cranks on it will weight just under 27 pnds.Mine is a medium.I've seen guys on here with large ones just going tubeless and putting carbon bars and claiming 26 pnds plus which is B.S,if that's the case why would anyone buy an expert.My bro has a large expert and its just under 26 pnds, his has a dropper seat though

Thanks for your comments! I test rode a medium aluminum Epic and a large CF Epic. It was not a full-on trail ride test, but I took them to a local school with some hills and tree roots. Both felt great, but the handling of the large one was slightly slower and less snappy than the medium, probably because of a longer stem. At 5'11", I'm a tweener for both sizes. The medium is perhaps a tad too small/short, while the large is a bit too big.

I'm kinda in the same boat, 5'10" but my measurements put me on a large, which is what I test drove. They didn't have any mediums so I can't compare but I felt fine on the large.

Remember the magura that's one them is the lower end scale.Brakes were very bad,fine if your only going to the shops :-).
I put arch ex wheels,New xt pedals,carbon bars,stem,seat post,2013 xo trail brakes,xo shifters,shimano r-76 rotors,180 on the front.I have the new xo cranks arriving monday for it.Its running tubeless.
When i put the cranks on it will weight just under 27 pnds.Mine is a medium.I've seen guys on here with large ones just going tubeless and putting carbon bars and claiming 26 pnds plus which is B.S,if that's the case why would anyone buy an expert.My bro has a large expert and its just under 26 pnds, his has a dropper seat though

Ah, I figured the MTS were a mid level brake since they were in between the MT4 and MT6. I'm going from V-brakes to hydro disc, so anything is an upgrade for me

BTW, what did you pay for yours? I haven't gotten a price from my LBS yet and I think if all 5 of us buy at once, we might be able to get a good price on them.

hidperf, I see that you are in the st. louis region. So am I. I also see that you are 5'10" like me as well.

I went with a large and a 90mm stem. There is a thread in here that has a lot of people doing the same thing. The medium felt too small for me and I didn't want to go the route of putting a long stem on my only FS bike and be too far forward. I know in St. Louis we don't have a lot of downhill, but I wanted to keep it short for my "rocky FS" bike if that makes any sense. The bike fits me like a glove, but YMMV based on your dimensions.

Out of the shops in the area it seems like Mesa and The Bike Surgeon were the best for giving deals.

I am a big fan of the Magura brakes. I have put around 300 miles on the bike so far and I haven't had to fiddle with them at all. They just work. They took a long time to bed in. I wish that they had more stopping power and after some long downhills they will start to lose power, but they are really nice brakes with great modulation. The only difference between them and the high end Magura MT8's is weight. They use all of the same technology throughout their lineup.

Knowing that you are in the St. Louis area I can see that you wouldn't need anything more than the Epic for the trails around here. The Epic is going to be overkill for most of the trails in the area, but between locking the fork and the brain shock can make the bike pretty stiff if you are worried about too much suspension bob.

Like I said before, if you don't have the cash to get the carbon frame and upgrade the wheels then I would just go AL. I think the stock wheels are 2000+ grams and have had tons of rear hub issues.

My issue with Specialized is that for the price, the builds aren't really all that great. I was going to recommend what I did in 2011, which was instead of buying a carbon Epic model, buy the aluminum Epic frame and build it up the way that you want. That way you aren't messing around with the (at least back then) lousy rear hub; with a lot of careful shopping I was able to put together a full X9/XT build with a lefty fork and project 321 wheels for the cost of the mid-range carbon model. Of course, now I look at Specialized's website and come to realize that only the S-works frame is offered in the frame-only configuration - go figure.... All that said, I love my Epic 29er and would highly recommend it to most people. In my experience it is an extremely capable and depending on how you build it up, flexible bike.

hidperf, I see that you are in the st. louis region. So am I. I also see that you are 5'10" like me as well.

I went with a large and a 90mm stem. There is a thread in here that has a lot of people doing the same thing. The medium felt too small for me and I didn't want to go the route of putting a long stem on my only FS bike and be too far forward. I know in St. Louis we don't have a lot of downhill, but I wanted to keep it short for my "rocky FS" bike if that makes any sense. The bike fits me like a glove, but YMMV based on your dimensions.

Out of the shops in the area it seems like Mesa and The Bike Surgeon were the best for giving deals.

I am a big fan of the Magura brakes. I have put around 300 miles on the bike so far and I haven't had to fiddle with them at all. They just work. They took a long time to bed in. I wish that they had more stopping power and after some long downhills they will start to lose power, but they are really nice brakes with great modulation. The only difference between them and the high end Magura MT8's is weight. They use all of the same technology throughout their lineup.

Knowing that you are in the St. Louis area I can see that you wouldn't need anything more than the Epic for the trails around here. The Epic is going to be overkill for most of the trails in the area, but between locking the fork and the brain shock can make the bike pretty stiff if you are worried about too much suspension bob.

Like I said before, if you don't have the cash to get the carbon frame and upgrade the wheels then I would just go AL. I think the stock wheels are 2000+ grams and have had tons of rear hub issues.

Thanks for the info. Either way I go, I'll end up financing the bike. It's just a matter of how much I want to finance and how long I want to pay on it. I think I can probably make up the weight difference between the two with upgrades and still come in around the same price with my choice of better components.

Originally Posted by TurnerConvert

My issue with Specialized is that for the price, the builds aren't really all that great. I was going to recommend what I did in 2011, which was instead of buying a carbon Epic model, buy the aluminum Epic frame and build it up the way that you want. That way you aren't messing around with the (at least back then) lousy rear hub; with a lot of careful shopping I was able to put together a full X9/XT build with a lefty fork and project 321 wheels for the cost of the mid-range carbon model. Of course, now I look at Specialized's website and come to realize that only the S-works frame is offered in the frame-only configuration - go figure.... All that said, I love my Epic 29er and would highly recommend it to most people. In my experience it is an extremely capable and depending on how you build it up, flexible bike.

Thanks for the info. I think I'm starting to lean this way now.

Originally Posted by ambassadorhawg

I checked out a 2013 Epic Expert today at my LBS. Pretty darn nice but I can't justify the price.

My Epic responded instantly, too. It's the steep angles of the frame. Some might consider it too twitchy. I rode mine hard all over the So Cal trails and it never failed me.

Enjoy your new Epic, whatever model you get!

That's what I keep hearing. I've read nothing but great things about the Epic.

Ah, I figured the MTS were a mid level brake since they were in between the MT4 and MT6. I'm going from V-brakes to hydro disc, so anything is an upgrade for me

BTW, what did you pay for yours? I haven't gotten a price from my LBS yet and I think if all 5 of us buy at once, we might be able to get a good price on them.

I paid $3200 for mine,i'm 5-10 and a half and i went with the medium,Large felt to big.The brakes are fine if your only doing flat trails.Once they get hot on long downhill they have bad
brake fade and the lever pulls to the bar.I had to different shops bleed mine and i bought new pads and discs and broke them in proper and left them over night to cool,but alas once they get hot same problem.